Broom-hanger



6. B. KEPLINGER.

BROOM HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 13, 1919.

Patented Aug. 24,1920.

GEORGE B. KEPLINGER, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BROOM-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

Application filed October 13, 1919. Serial No. 330,435.

7 To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonon B. KEPLIN- one, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Broom-Hangers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has'for its object to provide a broom hanger or the like.

The particular object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is exceedingly simple, cheap and eflicient and wherein the broom handle engaging element is automatically normally maintained in position to avoid obstruction and which, when turned from said position to engage a broom handle or the like, will antomatically effect engagement of the latter and by the weight thereof be held in engagement therewith to support the same.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

Referring now to said drawings, the device comprises a suitable supporting plate 1 of sheet metal provided with perforations 2 for the passage of fastening means for securing the same to a wall. The lower edge of said plate consists of two parallel relatively offset portions, each terminating in a pivot sleeve, 3 and 4 respectively, in which the pivot arms of the broom engaging element are engaged. The broom engaging element consists of a U-shaped member 5 which is integral with the pivot arms aforesaid and consists of a single piece of wire doubled over upon itself to provide a U-shaped portion 5 consisting of two thicknesses of separable parts of wire. The two separable parts are normally in contact with each other and thus provide an inner arm 6,

the two parts of which numbered respectively 6 and 7 are normally separated or offset from each other as shown in Fig. 1. These two parts 6 and 7 connect with arms 8 and 9 respectively, which extend perpendicularly to the pivot arms aforesaid in which they terminate. The parts 6 and 7 and the outer arm of said U-shaped broom handle engaging element both extend sub stantially parallel with said pivot arms.

The wire or other material of which the broom engaging element is composed is preferably elastic or flexible and so formed that normally it exerts a spring action for holding the arms 9 and 10 in close proximity to the surface of the plate 1, the U-shaped part in which the broom handle is adapted to be received being preferably disposed in an incline or angle to the arms 9 and 10 as more particularly shown in Fig. 2.

As the said U-shaped part is swung downwardly and the broom handle inserted therein a continuance of the downward swing thereof until the U-shaped part is disposed substantially horizontally will cause the two arms 6 and 7 to be distorted and moved in respectively opposite directions, whereby the arm 7 will be caused to pass the arm 6 and thus contract the space between it and the outer or opposing arm of said U-shaped part. Thus the broom handle will be clamped in such U-shaped part and by its own weight will serve to hold itself firmly engaged therein and will obviously hold the U-shaped member in its engaging position against the spring tendency which it exerts. To release the broom handle from the device it is only necessary to slightly lift the same and then move it laterally out of the mouth of the U-shaped member, whereupon the latter will spring back to its normal position.

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood, of course, that such embodiment may be changed and varied in details of construction without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A broom hanger comprising a supporting member adapted to be mounted on a wall, and an object engaging element comprising two arms engaged with said support ing element at separated points to swing on parallel axes, both said arms terminating 1n a single U-shaped object receiving formation integral With said arms and connecting therewith at the outer end of one of its arms, the latter consisting of two parts adapted to be sprung apart in the plane of said member as said object-engaging element is pivotally moved whereby said object receiving formation 1s contracted during plvotal movement in one direction to engage an obseparated in its own plane to effect IGXPMI- sion and contraction thereof, the last named arm connected with the middle portions of the companion .U-shaped part of said object engaging element extending substantially perpendicularly thereto and pivotally connected by means of the arms inwhich they terminate with said supporting element at separated points for the purpose set forth.

3. A broom hanger comprising a supporting element, a broom handle engaging member pivotailly engaged therewith and including a pair of. opposedlelements between which the broom handle is adapted to be received, and means associated with the pivotal connection of said engaging member with said supportmg plate for automatically causing said elements to approach each other to engage a broom handle therebetween as said engaging member is pivotally moved .in one direction relatively to said supporting members.

GEORGE B. KEPLrNGER, 

